NASA discovers building blocks of DNA in meteorites from deep space

Well this is going to have a lot of religious groups scratching their heads. Those debating between evolution and creationism being taught in public schools now have something else to consider. It seems we all have a bit of extraterrestrial in us. NASA scientists have discovered evidence supporting the theory that part of our DNA was actually created in space.

Meteorites with components of DNA have been found since as far back as the 1960s. However, it was always unclear as to whether the DNA building blocks were created in space or if they came from contamination on Earth. Now, for the first time ever, scientists have three lines of evidence confirming that the DNA in the meteorites actually originates from deep space.

This discovery has led researchers to believe that the earliest forms of life may have actually been created from materials that landed on Earth but were created in space.

Dr. Michael Callahan, a research physical scientist at the Astrobiology Analytical Laboratory at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, is the lead author of a paper on the discovery. Callahan and his team have discovered a number of nucleobases and nucleobase analogs in meteorites.

What the heck is a nucleobase? A nucleobase is a small molecule that’s found in DNA and RNA, and these molecules are essential for all of life. The results of the research so far have shown that these molecules are extraterrestrial in origin, and that they’re products of a chemical reaction occurring on the meteorite.

So what kind of reasoning does Callahan have to back up this extraterrestrial theory? First, the scientists found nucleobase analogs in meteorites. A nucleobase analog is a molecule that’s structurally similar to the nucleobases you find in biology. And although similar, they’re different in the way that the structures are either rare or not present on Earth.

The second line of evidence comes from looking at terrestrial samples in addition to meteorite samples. The meteorites they test are collected mostly in Antarctica and one was collected in Australia. With soil samples from the Australian location and ice samples from Antarctica, the team tested the samples in the lab and found that they didn’t see the same kind of distribution of nucleobases as in the extraterrestrial meteorites. Not only that, but they don’t see the nucleobase analogs at all in the terrestrial samples.

The third looks at studies of reactions of hydrogen cyanide in the laboratory. The team looked at the products it extracted from reactions of hydrogen cyanide, and saw a similar suite of nucleobases to what’s found in the meteorite. This proves the theory since hydrogen cyanide is scattered everywhere in space and scientists think it has some sort of chemical reaction on the meteorite. This confirmed that the DNA found in the meteorites was the result of a chemical reaction instead of a biological contamination from Earth.

It’s known that meteorites contain amino acids, which Callahan says are the building blocks of the body’s proteins, but now we know that meteorites also contain DNA and RNA, the building blocks of the body’s genetic material. Callahan says that these things together could have “seeded an early Earth.” These important molecules could have built up the larger molecules that are essential to the biology that we see today.

The statement was made in the video that the DNA components are not commonly found on earth. Isn’t it more likely that they once were very prevalent but with plate techtonics and the eventual turn over of the entire surface of the earth through subduction, the chemical components were denatured and and thus destroyed rendering the remaining quantity small based on how much very old rock is left?

John Smith

Amazing, one person comes with a theory and all the evolution salesmen jump to dance with him/her.
Are these people really that desperate hanging on a straw?
Let’s assume for a second, that what you are saying is right, and this is really DNA that came out of the earth or as you put it, ” earliest forms of life may have actually been created from materials that landed on Earth but were created in space”, but did you stop for a second to think WHO and WHERE that “early form of life was created? What is the source? Another dimension? Another “it came from outer space” theory?Shouldn’t the money and effort wasted on trying to prove a hoax like this be better put to do some real research to find cure for diseases and advance in useful technology?No, as long as there are people out there who want to believe their own theories…

Abc

People that believe in creationism still actually exist? o.O

Anyway, great article.

chas

Many like being ignorant to accept the truth.

Starsbravo

one person comes with a theory and all the evolution salesmen jump to dance with him/her….better put to do some real research to find cure for diseases and advance in useful technology

In that case, we need more people educated in evolution, as evolution is found everywhere from evolving viruses diseases to algorithms and artificial intelligence.

did you stop for a second to think WHO and WHERE that “early form of life was created?

Thats the point. it doesnt have to be a WHO, this article talks about how DNA could has been created by coincidence through chemical reactions in meteorites.

Shouldn’t the money and effort wasted on trying to prove a hoax like
this be better put to do some real research to find cure for diseases
and advance in useful technology?

I personally think that people spending less time in church and spending more time in school/research actually would help more.

Starsbravo

*could had been

John Smith

“evolution is found everywhere”

Thanks for the laugh. A theory that the person who came up with it had his doubts and said that it was an idea that people turned into religion.

There is not a single evidence of evolution that turned anything to humans as we see them today, no matter how fake science gets inserted into the context and tries to sell it for us. The same species do evolved to other forms of the same species, yes, they grow stronger, taller, weaker, shorter, become more or less tolerant for anything around them, yes, but to other species, no.
That is an unproven theory, and a bad one too.
Hope this helps.

John Smith

Once you come from under the rock that you are living under, you’ll see they out number the ones who bought into the evolution nonsense UNPROVEN THEORY.
Yeah, we all came from some obscure early form of life that came from outer space that you evolutionist salesmen cannot prove it happened nor can prove where did that early form of life did come from.
Once you engage brain instead of irrational hate and fake science, you’ll realize that everything had a reason and there was a creator behind this. The whole world did not just come out of nothing and for no reason and that so-called early form of life that we all supposedly came form just sprang out of nowhere.

Scientifically Literate

Really? “The whole world did not just come from nothing?” Where did the creator come from? How was he/she/it able to just “come from nothing”?

You are but one of 8 billion people on one of eight planets revolving around one of 100 billion stars in one of 100 billion galaxies in our known universe. You and your fairy tale “createor” are extremely insignificant.

jaybrae

Perhaps you should stop thinking of a creator as some divine humanoid gazing down into some astral ball, watching us like staring into a snow globe. Omniscient, Alpha & Omega is pretty much = the Universe.

Renewable2384

“John Smith” please stopt acting like you know what the F you are talking about.

StoicReflection

So by your logic, finding out how humans came to be isnt important enough to study?

Peter Mueller

Thanks for the laugh proving your ignorance.

Willay757

HAHA JOHN SMITH is obviously uneducated as he believes in religion… which has NO proof at all. Also, he will probably kill himself when the U.S. discloses to the public that we’ve been visited multiple times by multiple, highly intelligent races who i’m sure laugh at ignorant people like “John Smith” hahaha

http://www.facebook.com/jasonkucherawy Jason Kucherawy

Evolution is a proven theory. Every time it is put to the test it works, which is why it’s still around. Every biological science uses evolutionary theory, natural selection, etc… John Smith is obviously not a scientist and quite obviously religious. Back to your Bible studies John and let the smart people do the real work that will improve lives, and make the world a better place.

Anonymous

You are one stupid troll.

Anonymous

You are one stupid troll.

Anonymous

Thant is possible, there has bee discussion on that topic, but the problem lies in that there are places on earth which have never been subducted.

However there are organisms on Earth which have a totaly different biology thanb all other life forms on earth.

Anonymous

Thant is possible, there has bee discussion on that topic, but the problem lies in that there are places on earth which have never been subducted.

However there are organisms on Earth which have a totaly different biology thanb all other life forms on earth.

http://pulse.yahoo.com/_7AEACYYOYIRIK3UBEHT3GCMFZM SethM

Wow big surprise considering the education in this country. You have no clue what theory means. Look up the scientific method then try and talk shit. At least I’ve read the bible enough to hold my own against you theists. How bout you do the same with some science textbooks and see if you can disprove anything on our end.

http://pulse.yahoo.com/_7AEACYYOYIRIK3UBEHT3GCMFZM SethM

Guess what else is a THEORY gravity but I’m sure you have some magical bullshit to explain why we don’t float off into space…..

http://pulse.yahoo.com/_7AEACYYOYIRIK3UBEHT3GCMFZM SethM

You do realize we have tons of transitional fossils??? We didn’t fake those like you guys tried to fake the Paluxy River Footprints and the Shroud of Turin.

http://pulse.yahoo.com/_7AEACYYOYIRIK3UBEHT3GCMFZM SethM

lmao can you find one site saying that and isn’t one of the most bias ones around. How bout finding some creditable links from real scientists that aren’t just trying to make everything fit into their predetermined outlook.